Central heating pipes in concrete floor, best practice?

[VickyBH]

Hi, need some help please.
I now need to bring central pipes across to other side of wall via route like the photo shows (the route allows sliding door gear fixed onto floor). This is a flat and the concrete floor is approx 25cm thick stone mix, I plan to chase down around 40mm so its not too deep to cause damage. I am deliberating if I should lay plastic or copper pipe.

I am leaning more towards hep2o system because plastic pipes are smaller than copper+insulation, so chase won't be too deep (less work), but this means the push fit elbow joints at each end will be buried under floor, and this doesn't sound right to me. Is there another way to bring out the pipe without bury push fit joint in concrete?

If push fit isn't advised, what is the smallest insulation I can used? is armaflex very thick?

Any other tips or guidances are much appreciate.

 

[CBW]

What about brining the Hep2O up in the wall and then have the elbows or couplings from behind the rad?

 

[denso13]

I am leaning more towards hep2o system because plastic pipes are smaller than copper+insulation

Plastic should be insulated just like copper. One advantage is less joins if you find a good route.

The pipes can be wrapped with denso tape to allow for expansion, no great need for insulation for all you've have.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Is this flat in a block of flats?- do you pay service charges or ground rent? What i am trying to get at is do you own the structure freehold- if not then you need to be talking to the freeholder/management company before making any changes to the fabric of the building. Unlikely they'll care about hacking off plaster, they will care about cutting a groove in the floor.

 

[SandyLyon]

You could use Hep2o in flexible conduit with cold form bends to take the pipe from the screed to vertical in the wall behind the radiator then compression fittings with chrome copper to the radiator valves.

 

[VickyBH]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like plastic is the way to go. Is it ok to bury part of the push fit elbow inside wall behind the radiator to have change over to copper?

Should I be concerned of anything if I am to reduce pipes from 22mm to 10mm under floor?

 

[oldbutnotdead]

If the 10mm pipes are feeding more than one radiator you might come unstuck.
Try to avoid having couplers with moving parts (so compression and pushfit) buried in walls.
Apart from the whole chasing concrete problem, you'll get a better job with 10 or 12mm soft copper- duct it in 15mm conduit or 25mm electrical minitrunking. Pushfit couplers are bulky and ugly.

 

[SandyLyon]

As above use Hep2o Barrier pipe in Hep2o conduit, water regs may require pipes in solid floors (excluding UFH pipe work) should be removable.

You could use cold form bends to come out of the floor and into the wall or use half of a Hep2o conduit box with a plywood cover with similar at the other end meaning the length of plastic pipe can be disconnected at each end and withdraw from the conduit and a new length slid in should it become damaged etc.